Daily Buddhist Wisdom

maitri · 05-04-2006 5:12pm #1

Hi!

Some months ago i found out that I could subscribe to get small excerpts of buddhist sutras and other buddhist wisdom quotes on email every day from http://www.beliefnet.com for free. (It is also possible to get wisdom quotes from other religious traditions, e.g. Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Moslem Daily Wisdom.)

Here are some of my favourites.
Enjoy!

Trust yourselves

Don't go by gossip and rumour, nor by what's told you by others, nor by what you hear
said, nor even by the authority of your traditional teachings. Don't go by
reasoning, nor by inferring one thing from another, nor by argument about methods,
nor from liking an opinion, nor from awe of the teacher and thinking he must be
deferred to.

Instead, when you know from within yourselves that certain teachings are not good,
that when put into practice they lead to loss and suffering, you must then trust
yourselves and reject them.

-Anguttara Nikaya

No absolute truth

"But what makes these 'experts' preach their opinion and call it truth?" asked the
inquirer. "Is it an inheritance of humankind to do this, or is it merely something
they gain satisfaction from?"

"Apart from consciousness," answered the Buddha, "no absolute truths exist. False
reasoning declares one view to be true and another view wrong. It is delight in
their dearly held opinions that makes them assert that anyone who disagrees is bound
to come to a bad end. But no true seeker becomes embroiled in all this. Pass by
peacefully and go a stainless way, free from theories, lusts and dogmas."

-Majjhima Nikaya

Don't judge

"The results of karma cannot be known by thought, and so should not be speculated
about. Thus, thinking, one would come to distraction and distress.

"Therefore, Ananda, do not be the judge of people; do not make assumptions about
others. A person is destroyed by holding judgments about others."

-Anguttura Nikaya

All things are without a self

All formations are transient; all formations are subject to suffering; all things
are without a self.

Therefore, whatever there be of form, of feeling, perception, mental formations, or
consciousness, whether past, present, or future, one's own or external, gross or
subtle, lofty or low, far or near, one should understand according to reality and
true wisdom: 'This does not belong to me; this am I not; this is not my Self.'

-Anguttara Nikaya and Samyutta Nikaya

Things that come and go

"In every direction," said the Buddha, "above, below, around, and within, you see
things you know and recognize. Put them down. Do not let consciousness dwell on the
products of existence and things that come and go, for there is no rest of relief
there. When you understand that by taking the objects of the world for granted as
total reality, you are tied to the world, then this understanding will release you
from your dependence on objects and will stop your craving and your desire for
constant becoming. Then you can let go your hold and engage with things as they are,
instead."

-Sutta Nipata

Nothing wrong with pleasures

Contrary to what some people might believe, there is nothing wrong with having
pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these
pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and
dissatisfaction.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"

Love,

Maitri

Red Hand · 05-04-2006 8:42pm

Emotion clouds observation

Asiaprod · 06-04-2006 2:26am

Keep things simple, complexity leads to confusion.
<My original quote>

maitri · 06-04-2006 2:11pm

"The Great Path is really No Path."

"The Devine is not something high above us. It is in heaven, it is in earth, it is inside us."

(From The Art of Peace by Morihei Ueshiba,
Boston & London 1992 Shambhala Pocket Classics)

Banphrionsa · 13-04-2006 8:28am

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote:

Emotion clouds observation

"Grasshopper, do you fathom the meaning of this statement?"

"No Master, it is beyond comprehension."

"Close your eyes, control your breathing, and be calm inside, Grasshopper."

"But Master, all that I can hear now is my stomach grumbling with hunger inside."

"Precisely, Grasshopper! You are hungry and there's a cargo ship filled with bread crumbs soon to dock near our temple."

god's toy · 16-04-2006 1:39pm

Sharon Salzberg rote:

"Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary. Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, and to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion...is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception.

Lovingkindness "

Sharon Salzberg

Asiaprod · 16-04-2006 2:18pm

god's toy wrote:

Sharon Salzberg rote:Lovingkindness "Sharon Salzberg

Nice quote, she is a very smart lady. Here is another one of her's which I think really lays it on the line when we talk about the difference between a religion that has a God Head and Buddhism which is about our self:

"What distinguishes faith in ourselves from conceit is the fact that conceit lays claim to specialness, while our fundamental nature is not personal—it's universal, it's shared. When we look at the Buddha or a great teacher, we can see our own potential for happiness, for vibrant wisdom and sustained compassion—a potential that all beings share. However, if we stop at faith in another, admiring him or her and overlooking ourselves, our faith remains incomplete."

maitri · 17-04-2006 5:30pm

"Don't cling to anything and don't reject anything. Let come what comes, and
accomodate yourself to that, whatever it is. If good mental images arise, that is
fine. If bad mental images arise, that is fine, too. Look on all of it as equal, and
make yourself comfortable with whatever happens. Don't fight with what you
experience, just observe it all mindfully."

-Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English"

maitri · 20-04-2006 4:55pm

"A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities."

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"There is a crack in everything - That is how the light gets in."
(Leonhard Cohen)

maitri · 02-05-2006 5:52pm

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world

- The Way of the Bodhisattva - Shantideva - 8th century

______

“Do not do anything bad to yourself and anyone else;
Do anything good to yourself and everyone;
Keep you mind clear and pure day and night.
This is what the Buddha teaches.”

- Bodhidharma(?)

_________

“Believe nothing.
No matter where you read it,
Or who said it,
Even if I have said it,
Unless it agrees with your own reason
And your own common sense.”

~ Buddha
from The Dhammapada

________

“Try to be reasonable in the way you grow, and don't ever think it is too late. It is
never too late. Even if you are going to die tomorrow, keep yourself straight and
clear and be a happy human being today. If you keep your situation happy day by day,
you will eventually reach the greatest happiness of enlightenment.”

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, The Bliss of Inner Fire

_______

NOTHING SPECIAL "If you continue this simple practice everyday, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after you attain it, it is nothing special."
(excerpt)
... So to be a human being is to be a Buddha. Buddha nature is just another name for human nature, our true human nature. Thus even though you do not do anything, you are actually doing something. You are expressing yourself. You are expressing your true nature. Your eyes will express; your voice will express; your demeanor will express. The most important thing is to express your true nature in the simplest, most adequate way and to appreciate it in the smallest existence ...

- Zen mind, Beginners mind - Shunryu Suzuki

_______

"In this life we cannot do great things.
We can only do small things with great love."
- Mother Teresa

________

"Life is short and we have not too much time
for gladdening the hearts of those
who are traveling the dark way with us.
Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind."
- Henri-Frederic Amiel - 1885

Asiaprod · 04-06-2006 5:12am

Must admit I have let this post slip by completely ignoring the value it can create for us. In that spirit, here we go again.

Suffering is the fuel of wisdom, which opens the way to happiness.
(Nichiren)

maitri · 06-06-2006 2:52pm

Thanks, Asia!:)

About enlightenment and reality – adore reality:

Subhuti asked:”What does buddha mean?”
The Buddha answered. “Buddha is reality. One who thoroughly comprehends all the factors of existence is a Buddha.”
Then Subhuti asked: “What does enlightenment mean?”
The Buddha replied: “Enlightenment is a way of saying that all things are seen in their intrinsic empty nature, their Suchness, their ungraspable wonder. Names and words are merely incidental, but that state which sees no division, no duality, is enlightenment.”
Subhuti asked: “If one wants to know emptiness, how should one do it?”
“The one who wants to realize emptiness should adore reality, develop a skill in living in the world, and cultivate friends of the same mind. Skill can only be developed in the presence of reality, not otherwise. Endowed with skill, the person gives without the idea of a giver and lives in the realization that all the factors of existence have no ultimate substance.”

(Prajnaparamita, quoted from “The Pocket Buddha Reader”, ed. Anne Bancroft)

Nirvana and samsara

What is meant by nonduality, Mahatmi?
It means that light and shade, long and short, black and white, can only be experienced in relation to eachother; light is not independent of shade, nor black of white. There are no opposites, only relationships.
In the same way, nirvana and the ordinary world of suffering are not two things but related to eachother. There is no nirvana except where the world of suffering is; there is no world of suffering apart from the nirvana. For existence is not mutually exclusive.

(Lankavatara Sutra, quoted from “The Pocket Buddha Reader”, ed. Anne Bancroft)

Wisdom and love

Those who attain perfect wisdom are forever inspired by the conviction that the infinitely varied forms of the world, in all their relativity, far from being a hindrance and a dangerous distraction to the spiritual path, are really a healing medicine. Why?
Because by the very fact that they are interdependent on each other and therefore have no separate self, they express the mystery and the energy of all-embracing love.
Not just the illumined wise ones but every single being in the interconnected world is a dweller in the boundless infinity of love.

(Prajnaparamita, quoted from “The Pocket Buddha Reader”, ed. Anne Bancroft)

The Perceptive Mind

Your perceptive mind is already luminous and shining brightly. But you colour it with all your attachments. It is not easy to understand this, and many do not. They do not cultivate their perceptive mind. But that mind, luminous and brightly shining, is fundamentally free of all attachments, because they come and go. This you should understand and for you there should be cultivation of the perceptive mind.

(Anguttara Nikaya, quoted from “The Pocket Buddha Reader”, ed. Anne Bancroft)

Asiaprod · 06-06-2006 3:43pm

That is a really cool post maitri, nice concepts. Thanks.

Asiaprod · 07-06-2006 1:52am

Todays offering from me comes from a non-Buddhist source but is very Buddhist in nature. I have a great respect for the American Indian and their beliefs. Hope you enjoy the following, it comes from an independent Sanga group I subscribe to.

A Sioux Indian Story
My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone person. "You may create lots of splashes in your life but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said. "Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles. You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both."That was the first time I realized each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world. We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger. We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life.

Remember the eternal wisdom: Whatever You Focus On Expands.

maitri · 07-06-2006 12:08pm

Cool!

maitri · 09-06-2006 3:20pm

Not a self

The body, monks, is not a self. The body has evolved out of time immemorial from causes and preconditions that are also without a self. How then could the body, evolving out of something that is not a self, be a self? The same is true of thoughts and ideas that have come into existence by the influence of all beings through time – how could thoughts and ideas be a self? So, too, with feelings and perceptions, which are relative to the body and mind – how could they be a self?

(Samyutta Nikaya, quoted from “The Pocket Buddha Reader”, ed. Anne Bancroft)

god's toy · 14-06-2006 10:27pm

For a person who cherishes compassion and love, the practice of tolerance is essential, and for that, an enemy is indispensable. So we should be grateful to our enemies, for it is they who can best help us to develop a tranquil mind.

From "Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2006 Calendar"

maitri · 19-06-2006 2:36pm

Not easy, that one!

Here are some more i just came across about enlightenment:

"The Buddha taught that there is no enlightenment and no wisdom outside our own minds. From this perspective, what we gain from teachers, from scriptures or from following the spiritual path through all its stages is not something new or external to us. When we follow the path, we simply gain more skillful methods to uncover our own wisdom and our own enlightenment. The teachings of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen paths show us that wisdom and enlightenment are found right within our emotions and right within our ordinary world."

(The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, from ”Wild Awakening”)

"You must never seek any of Shakyamuni's teachings or the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the universe outside yourself. Your mastery of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of mortal sufferings in the least unless you perceive the nature of your own life. If you seek enlightenment outside yourself, any discipline or good deed will be meaningless. For example, a poor man cannot earn a penny just by counting his neighbor's wealth, even if he does so night and day."

(Nichiren Daishonin, founder (?) of Asia's school)

maitri · 13-07-2006 5:16pm

"It is a defect in language that words suggest permanent realities and people do not
see through this deception. But mere words cannot create reality. Thus people speak
of a final goal and believe it is real, but it is a form of words and the goal as
such is without substance. The one who realizes the emptiness of objects and
concepts does not depend on words. Perfect wisdom is beyond definition, and
pathlessness is the way to it.

The wise one treads this path for the direct realization of impermanence and for the
direct realization of understanding. This, then, is perfect wisdom. Such a one
should tread this path knowing that attachment and attractions are neither good nor
harmful, even enlightenment is neither good nor harmful, because perfect wisdom is
not meant to promote good or harm for that person. However, even though there is no
intention of good or harm, it does confer endless blessing."

-Prajnaparamita

UU · 13-07-2006 9:01pm

I read this parable in Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power Of Now". I'm not sure where he got it from though but take a look. I found it very thought provokative.

Enlightenment - what is that?

A begger had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the begger, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. The he asked: "What's that you are sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the begger. "Just an old box. I have been sitting on it as long as I can remember." Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No," said the begger. "What's the point? There's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The begger managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.

Doc Farrell · 13-07-2006 11:24pm

I read his book last week and as much as I enjoyed it, it disturbed me a little that he wasn't more direct and honest about the simple buddhist ideas behind it. Or maybe I missed a forward to the book? I know he studied buddhism for two years but his American audience might think that the ideas are his own.
I work in a bookshop and traded it in for two standard buddhist texts that don't promise the world.

The idea of a religious guru concerns me. In the West the Guru uses his genuine but minor insights into the continuous fabric of the universe to simply feed his ego (and his wallet!). The difference between a guru and a teacher is that a teacher will tell you at the beginning, to take it or leave it but at a certain point will kick your ass if you don't start putting the work in. A fraud will make you drunk on intoxicating minor magic, clean out your bank account and leave you with nothing but his ego.

I'm not saying Tolle is a fraud, only that he's tied into the spiritual book and personal appearance circus that financially supports quite a few others.

btw, all the posts on this thread before Tolle's are worthy of a huge amount of study, which I intend to try.

take care folks, d.

Asiaprod · 14-07-2006 4:13am

UU wrote:

I read this parable in Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power Of Now". I'm not sure where he got it from though but take a look. I found it very thought provokative.

Humm, this post has planted a new though in my overworked brain which I believe could be of very real benefit. We are reading some great stuff here and I would like to hear comments from the readers as to how they interpret each piece of wisdom. If I may be so bold to ask UU, how did this story effect you. What did you get out of it.

For me, the thought that came to mind was that we as humans spend so much time negatively dwelling on our sufferings that we reach a point that we fail to see any good even if it is right under our asses.

Any other takers.

zag · 14-07-2006 8:43am

A begger had been sitting by the side of a road for over thirty years. One day a stranger walked by. "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old baseball cap. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. The he asked: "What's that you are sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I have been sitting on it as long as I can remember." Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger. "No," said the begger. "What's the point? There's nothing in there." "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger. The begger managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold.

I really like this story, it's struck a chord with me. I interpret the message as, all of my potential, my true happiness is locked up inside of me, and there is no need to look elsewhere for happiness. It tells me to 'pry the lid', and uncover the gold within me and my life.

The beggar represents me, in my un-enlightened, ignorant self. The baseball cap, and question; "Spare some change?" represent my attachment to material things, and grasping outside at what I think will make my life better.

In a way, the stranger represents dharma, instructing the beggar to look inside the box, even after the beggar has assumed it is empty.

The gold represents..(this is like the Pulp Fiction debate!)..my limitless human potential.

Asiaprod · 14-07-2006 9:21am

zag wrote:

I really like this story, it's struck a chord with me. I interpret the message as, all of my potential, my true happiness is locked up inside of me, and there is no need to look elsewhere for happiness. It tells me to 'pry the lid', and uncover the gold within me and my life.

Very nice interpretation indeed. I really like the connection you made with the baseball cap, and the question "Spare some change?." You really did see much deeper into the story than I did. Learned a lot from what you saw, thanks.

UU · 14-07-2006 8:58pm

Asiaprod wrote:

Humm, this post has planted a new though in my overworked brain which I believe could be of very real benefit. We are reading some great stuff here and I would like to hear comments from the readers as to how they interpret each piece of wisdom. If I may be so bold to ask UU, how did this story effect you. What did you get out of it.

For me, the thought that came to mind was that we as humans spend so much time negatively dwelling on our sufferings that we reach a point that we fail to see any good even if it is right under our asses.

Any other takers.

Oh of course Asiaprod, you may ask me for my response but it is very similiar in ways to that of zag.

Yes. I am that begger. Everyone who is unenlightened is that begger who are looking out for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security or love, who have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer. That is not material wealth but a spiritual wealth so awesome, so vast, so infinite that words can't even begin to describe it. We call it enlightenment. Each of us has the power within us the gain enlightenment. But who is that stranger? That stranger could be dharma? He/ She could be that enlightened person who is instructing us to look inside our boxes. It could be anyone? The Buddha, Tolle, a friend, or above all your inner self.

Thomas Hardy, the poet said "No man is an island, each is part of the continent". We need to help each other become aware of the inner contents of that box we are sitting on. It's like a series of lights which are connected or united by a oneness of energy which allows them to all enlighten. But to succeed we must all be aware that are beggers who are searching for something and that we too are strangers. Without this realisation, we will give into our own ego and be overshadowed by our own minds and enlightenment will just become another misunderstood concept in the dictionary.

Doc Farrell · 16-07-2006 12:39am

maitri wrote:

Hi!

Nothing wrong with pleasures

Contrary to what some people might believe, there is nothing wrong with having
pleasures and enjoyments. What is wrong is the confused way we grasp onto these
pleasures, turning them from a source of happiness into a source of pain and
dissatisfaction.

-Lama Thubten Yeshe, "Introduction to Tantra"

Love,

Maitri

This is my favourite one. I have heard a lot about Lama Yeshe recently and will have to look up his writing.

I think people looking at buddhism initially believe that one has to deny oneself the experience of emotions and pleasures when in fact it's simply that those pleasures no longer become the goal that they once were - not because they don't make us happy but rather because there's already a quiet happiness inside that doesn't grasp for trinkets.

But buddhism doesn't get more positive and easy to understand than the quote above. Overthinking by the ego is easy for me to remedy now. Just use that simple act of 'letting go' called meditation.

I was meditating in Wicklow this evening and I noticed that the grass seemed to become more alive. Which of course is backwards! The grass is already fully alive, as is the wind blowing through it. I was simply becoming more aware of that fact!

thanks Maitri! des.

edit: oops! http://www.lamayeshe.com

coffee_cake · 16-07-2006 10:42am

This is my favourite one. I have heard a lot about Lama Yeshe recently and will have to look up his writing.

Indeed, I heard some of what Tenzin Palmo had to say about these things once, and it was quite sensible imo. These things like cars etc are not a sole source of happiness, they're not permanent and secure like we think they are and we'll end up causing ourselves trouble if we latch on to them as such. Instead, enjoy them but realise they're not the be all and end all. Buddhism is indeed the middle path

maitri · 17-07-2006 4:17pm

Hi folks!

Great quotes and very interesting comments!
(Great idea to discuss how we understand those quotes/teachings - and what they mean to us, Asia!:) )

Doc Farrell wrote:

This is my favourite one. I have heard a lot about Lama Yeshe recently and will have to look up his writing.

Hi Des!

Me, too! He is very humorous, funny to read his writings.

Doc Farrell wrote:

I think people looking at buddhism initially believe that one has to deny oneself the experience of emotions and pleasures when in fact it's simply that those pleasures no longer become the goal that they once were - not because they don't make us happy but rather because there's already a quiet happiness inside that doesn't grasp for trinkets.

Good point! That’s the kind of happiness we want – that we search for - isn’t it?
By the way, I really like the way you described meditation as “just a simple act of 'letting go'”. I haven’t really seen it that way before, but I believe you are right.

maitri · 17-07-2006 4:40pm

Compassion is the Buddha nature of all sentient beings

”Compassion is truth, and it is not a delusion. If someone asks, ‘What is the source of all good roots?’ the answer is ‘compassion’.”
(…)
Those who do good are true thinkers, and true thought is compassion… Compassion is the Tathagata (Buddha). Good people, compassion is the bodhi way. The bodhi way is the Tathagata, and the Tathagata is compassion… Good people, compassion is the inconceivable realm of all buddhas, and the inconceivable realm of all buddhas is compassion. One who knows compassion is a Tathagata. Compassion is the Buddha nature of all sentient beings.”

(Buddha, in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, quoted from “Describing the Indescribable: A Commentary on the Diamond Sutra” by Master Hsing Yun, translated by Tom Graham.)

Tathagata: (Literally "thus-come-one") One of the ten names of the Buddha.
Bodhi: Enlightenment, awakening.

If I should explain why I have chosen this quote:

It is lovely, and I believe it to be true.

When I came across it I also felt that it took me out of some intellectual speculation that I had got myself entangled into, and into real life.

It’s like everything else is commentary.

It also, in a way, reminds me very much of the Christian saying that God is Love, (even though, of course, Buddhists don’t say that the Buddha is God.)

Doc Farrell · 17-07-2006 6:22pm

maitri wrote:

Hi folks!
By the way, I really like the way you described meditation as “just a simple act of 'letting go'”. I haven’t really seen it that way before, but I believe you are right.

Hi Maitri,

I wish I could take credit for it but the phrase has been used by a few, including Sogyal Rinpoche on a cd I got. It's a short four minute teaching but very powerful for me. By powerful I mean it lets me loosen my grip on nonsense, stress and worry quickly.

I have been reading too much on esoteric aspects of buddhism recently and moving too far away from the path of simple letting go. Simple powerful teachings on compassion, as you say, must be the foundation. Everythng else really isn't that important. In fact when I lose that view of kindness then any other knowledge is actually a hindrence, a danger.

For anyone interested, the cd I mentioned can be bought from www.zamstore.com, the rigpa online shop. Here is the poem that the teaching refers to:

Natural Great Peace
Mini-CD

A brief teaching by Sogyal Rinpoche inspired by a poem of Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche set to music and performed by Richard Page.

Rest in natural great peace this exhausted mind,
Beaten helpless by Karma and neurotic thoughts
Like the relentless fury of the pounding waves
In the infinite ocean of samsara.
Rest in natural great peace.
-Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche

d.

maitri · 22-07-2006 5:20pm

Doc Farrell wrote:

I have been reading too much on esoteric aspects of buddhism recently and moving too far away from the path of simple letting go.

Sounds very familiar

Doc Farrell wrote:

Simple powerful teachings on compassion, as you say, must be the foundation. Everythng else really isn't that important. In fact when I lose that view of kindness then any other knowledge is actually a hindrence, a danger.

I guess I'll just have to try be content with working with the basics for a loooong time.

By the way, another quote:

"When people start to meditate or to work with any kind of spiritual discipline, they often think that somehow they're going to improve, which is a sort of subtle aggression against who they really are. It's a bit like saying, "If I jog, I'll be a much better person." "If I could only get a nicer house, I'd be a better person." "If I could meditate and calm down, I'd be a better person." Or the scenario may be that they find fault with others; they might say, "If it weren't for my husband, I'd have a perfect marriage." "If it weren't for the fact that my boss and I can't get on, my job would be just great." And "If it weren't for my mind, my meditation would be excellent."
But loving-kindness—maitri—toward ourselves doesn't mean getting rid of anything. Maitri means that we can still be crazy after all these years. We can still be angry after all these years. We can still be timid or jealous or full of feelings of unworthiness. The point is not to try to change ourselves. Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. That's the ground, that's what we study, that's what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest."

(Pema Chödrön, from “Awakening Loving Kindness” (Shambhala Classics) and “The Wisdom of no Escape”)

(PS: Yes, I know that I have got myself a kind of pretentious nickname...)

Daily Buddhist Wisdom

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